Friday, August 29, 2008

Juliana Hatfield

I've been meaning to write about this forever but for whatever reason it's escaped me until now. So... earlier this month Boston indie darling Juliana Hatfield published her latest album, How To Walk Away. There, I finally got it out.

It's Hatfield's tenth solo album, with her last new material coming out over two years ago. For her fans, the ten tracks on this tenth album will feel comfortably familiar, and therefor enjoyable. She sticks with what she's always done best: staying away from the happy lyrics and singing about more melancholy subjects. That being said, she doesn't necessarily stretch her boundaries much this time around, although after after over twenty years perhaps she deserves to enjoy the style that she's developed that's been enjoyed by her fans. And by all means, this album is enjoyable.

The album will be followed up by the release of her memoirs, titled When I Grow Up, out on September 29th, a book about her long (over twenty years) and storied career as a solo artist as well as a member of Blake Babies, her initial foray into the music world. I haven't had a chance to crack open the cover but I'm sure there will be some interesting stories and perhaps some juicy tidbits about Evan Dando.

Here's a few tracks from the album for your enjoyment, and you can pre-order her memoir over at Amazon.com if you need some reading material while you're listening to the album!